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Jonathan IV of Conté (kohn-TAY), called Jon by his close friends and family, was crowned King of Tortall in 439 HE,[2] although his reign technically began the year before upon his father's death. He was the only child of King Roald of Conté and his queen, Lianne. Jonathan was the friend and lover of Alanna the Lioness, and good friends with Raoul of Goldenlake, his cousin Gary of Naxen, and Veralidaine Sarrasri. He became the Voice of the Tribes of the Bazhir people in 438 HE, replacing Ali Mukhtab.

He married Thayet jian Wilima, who was the daughter of an overthrown warlord, in 439 HE, who became his queen and co-ruler. They had six children, and two grandchildren.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Jonathan was born in 416 HE[2] as the only child of King Roald and Queen Lianne of Tortall. He displaced his cousin Roger of Conté as heir to the throne, becoming the heir apparent. When Jonathan was 3 years old, his mother gave birth to a stillborn child, and afterward could not get pregnant again, leaving Jon as his father's only heir.

Training[]

Page[]

As was customary for the heir to the Tortallan throne, Jonathan entered page training to become a Knight of Tortall. Jon believed that his people would be more inclined to follow a king who was also a knight, as opposed to one who wasn't. His closest friends during his page years were Raoul of Goldenlake, his cousin Gary, Francis of Nond, and Alexander of Tirragen. Alanna of Trebond arrived at the palace during Jonathan's third year as a page, disguised as a boy named "Alan" in order to enter page training. Jonathan chose Gary to be her sponsor and she quickly became part of the prince's circle of friends. Jonathan was a big part of Alanna's support system in her fight against Ralon of Malven, and took time with her to explain bullying. He was present while Raoul beat up Ralon in the page's training yard and when Alanna finally defeated Ralon shortly before Midwinter in 430 HE.

In March, 431 HE, the Sweating Sickness, magically sent by Duke Roger of Conté, reached Tortall. Jonathan was the last to fall ill and was delirious by the end of the first day. With all of the palace healers weakened by the Sickness before he fell ill, Jonathan's only hope was Alanna. Alanna used her magical Gift of Healing to call on the power of the Goddess to help her save Jon after all of the natural cures she had tried first had failed. With the Goddess's help, Alanna was able to save Jon from the Dark God in place between Life and Death, and brought him safely back. Shortly before his 15th birthday in August that year, his cousin Roger arrived at the palace, having traveled north from Carthak, where he was when the Sweating Sickness hit Corus.

That fall, Jonathan accompanied Alanna on a trip into the Lower City and was introduced to the King of the Thieves, George Cooper. When he used a sapphire ring to cover the price of Alanna's new mare, Moonlight (a gift from George), George gave Jonathan a jet black stallion, Darkness, saying the ring would also cover his price. Jonathan and George soon became friends, and Jon frequently visited the Dancing Dove with Alanna and Gary. In the city, he hid his true identity, and was simply a rich merchant's son, Johnny, who learned to pick pockets and throw dice with some of the hardest criminals in the country.

Squire[]

As heir to the Tortallan throne, Jonathan was his father's squire. In the summer of 433 HE, the squires and Alanna accompanied Lord Martin of Meron to Persopolis in the Great Southern Desert. Jon convinced his uncle, Duke Gareth, to allow Page "Alan" to accompany them, as the page already spent a lot of time with the squires. In Persopolis they met Ali Mukhtab, who told them of the Black City, the only Bazhir city in existence, besides Persopolis. He revealed that many young Bazhir were drawn to this place, but none had ever returned. The squires had been warned before by Duke Roger not to go to the Black City as it is a dangerous place. Jon's curiosity was piqued both by his cousin's warning and Roger's subtle enchantment. Alanna accompanied him, trying to get him to give up, but he didn't. At the Black City, they encountered the Ysandir, who were ancient Immortals who feed on humans who venture into the city. During their battle, Jonathan learned that "Alan" was in truth Alanna, a girl. After having destroyed the Ysandir through their combined magic and swordplay, Jon promised Alanna that he will take her on as a squire once he had his shield. He received his shield on Midwinter in 433 HE[2] after his seventeenth birthday, as is customary for the prince.

Knighthood[]

Once knighted, Jonathan took Alanna of Trebond as his squire, as promised. He was careful to keep her true gender a secret from their other friends, Duke Roger, and their other teachers. During his tenure as her knight-master, Jonathan and Alanna had a romantic relationship that became sexual on Alanna's seventeenth birthday. Prior to their involvement, Jonathan had a relationship with the noblewoman Delia of Eldorne, who was also rumored to have been the mistress of his cousin, Duke Roger.

Shortly after Jonathan gained his shield, the Tusaine War broke out in 435 HE,[2] and was a territorial dispute for the Drell River Valley, which was tucked in the Tusaine Mountains and marked the border. He participated in combat under his cousin Roger's command. He was nearly shot by an assassin in a tree, but Alanna spotted the bowman and protected Jonathan by nearly shoving him off his saddle. He openly defied his father's orders, which were that none of his men were to cross the Drell River, in an attempt to rescue Alanna, who had been taken prisoner. He succeeded in saving Alanna before anyone realized that "Alan" was in fact a girl. He also took prisoners of his own: the brothers of King Ain of Tusaine, Duke Hilam and Count Jemis. The two brothers orchestrated the infiltration and ambush of the Tortallan Army and the kidnapping of Squire Alan. The war ended shortly after, the release of the two royal brothers a condition for peace. Part of the treaty mentioned that the Tusaine government would forfeit all rights to the Valley, and would never start a war with Tortall over its dominion again.

Voice of the Tribes[]

Alanna: "Jon? Why d'you want to be the Voice? You're already restless."
Jon: "I need to be the Voice. If I can do this thing, become the leader of the Bazhir, there should be few secrets of the human soul I won't understand. [...] If I know them, how they think, I'll know how most people think. With that knowledge I can become the greatest--the best--ruler who ever lived."
Alanna: "It's so important to you?"
Jon: "It's what I was born to do. It's what I will do. In spite of being restless. In spite of everything."
— Alanna and Jon the night before he became the Voice[src]

In 438 HE[2] Jon arrived at the Bazhir tribe of the Bloody Hawk, where he became a Man of the Tribe, proving his worth in combat. Ali Mukhtab, who was fatally ill, mentored Jon, teaching him to become the new Voice of the Tribes. Mukhtab taught Jon the history and secrets of the Bazhir. Eventually, in a ceremony, Jon became the Voice and received all the wisdom of the previous Voices. Mukhtab died in this ceremony, but he lived on in Jonathan. Jon is the first northerner to become the Voice and this step ensured a lasting peace between the Tortallan crown and the Bazhir tribes as Jon continued to perform his duties throughout his reign.

When he stayed at the tribe of the Bloody Hawk, Jon proposed marriage to Alanna. She delayed giving him an answer, worrying about settling down and becoming queen. She eventually rejected his proposal during an argument, leaving Jon and Alanna to part in anger. During their separation Jonathan paid more attention to the attractions and flattery from other young ladies of the court[3] and carried on a brief courtship with Josiane Rittevon, princess of the Copper Isles. He did this at his mother's behest and to spite Alanna. After a while, he broke things off with Princess Josiane, as he recognized her cruelty and he had grown tired of spiting Alanna which she wasn't even there.

While Alanna was away in far places, Queen Lianne succumbed to a fatal illness and died. In his sadness and grief, King Roald committed suicide. He made it look like a hunting accident, but everyone knew what it truly was. Following the deaths of his parents in 439 HE,[2] Jonathan passed the Ordeal of Kings and ascended the throne.

Kingship[]

Coronation[]

Alanna returned to Corus after finding the Dominion Jewel in the Roof of the World and battling the elemental being, Chitral. There were times of trouble, as everyone disbelieved that King Jonathan would be able to correctly rule the realm. There were several attacks and attempted assassinations, including the Great Market Riot in spring of 439 HE. Jonathan accepted the Dominion Jewel privately and in a small audience that consisted of his uncle Duke Gareth, Gary the Younger, Raoul of Goldenlake and the Lord Provost—who was never named during any of this. He also bestowed the title of King's Champion upon Alanna, who started to refuse it, but was outnumbered with people telling her that she was worthy of it.

Jonathan also met Thayet, a young woman and traveling companion of Alanna's who wished only to become a subject of Tortall and to give up her noble roots. He was smitten with her at first sight. Jonathan also met Liam Ironarm, the Shang Dragon and Alanna's lover during her travels. He also granted George Cooper the barony of Pirate's Swoop and a pardon for all of the other man's crimes as the Rogue and a lesser thief. Jon convinced George that this was not out of charity, and for a few reasons. One reason was that he did not want to see his good friend hanged when the Lord Provost finally caught George, and the other was that he needed George for espionage and to know what was going on in his realm. After a few minutes of arguing, George accepted.

On the day of his coronation, a battle ensued, started by Duke Roger, and Alexander of Tirragen. This was a major assassination attempt on the King's life. Duke Roger also had plans to destroy Tortall with large earthquakes, and not rule it as was once his desire. Jonathan used the Dominion Jewel in order to protect his people and to counteract Roger's spells. Jon's side ended up being victorious, with a few major deaths, such as Si-cham, Faithful, and Liam Ironarm.

Jon was officially crowned King of Tortall in early summer of 439.

Marriage and first decade as king[]

Later that year in 439 HE, Jonathan married Princess Thayet, and made sure that she was his equal in political standing. This is unlike any other of the Tortallan monarchs known, as Queen Lianne was not her husband's equal politically, and Queen Jessamine was not her husband's equal, but advised him in matters of state.

There were also times of great trouble for the first few years of their reign. Due to the use of the Dominion Jewel and the large amount of earth magic, a famine began in Tortall.[4] It took years to ameliorate the damage caused by the famine, and everyone less than noble had to scrounge for food. They did manage to do so, but it took a while to get the country back on its feet.

In 440 HE, Thayet gave birth the the couple's first child, a prince. They named the boy after Jon's father, Prince Roald. Immediately, he was considered their heir apparent. A year later, they had a daughter, and this time she was named after Thayet's mother, Princess Kalasin. They also made it so girls could not be displaced in the line of the Tortallan succession by any younger brothers, so Kally would keep her place even if younger brothers were born (and they were). The only thing that would remove her is if she married the monarch of another country or the heir apparent of another country.

In 442 HE[2] Jonathan and his queen passed a law allowing noble girls to train for knighthood. No one came out of the woodwork until 452 HE, but Princess Kalasin did have dreams of becoming a knight since she was six perhaps.

The next year,[2] the royal couple gave birth to their next child. Thayet conferred with Jon, saying she wanted to name the boy Liam, after Liam Ironarm. Jon agreed, and the boy is called Prince Liam. A year later, in 444 HE, they had another son, Prince Jasson, named after the prince's great-grandfather. A year after that, in 445 HE, they had another daughter, Princess Lianne, named after her paternal grandmother. Their last child was born in 446 HE, Princess Vania, named after an ancestress on her mother's side.[5]

In 449 HE, the king met a very interesting person, Veralidaine Sarrasri. She was brought to Corus by Onua Chamtong and Numair Salmalín. She had sensed the arrival of the Immortals known as Stormwings, specifically Zhaneh Bitterclaws, who was attacking the royal palace. The King welcomed her into the court. His political advisers at the time included the Council of Lords, the Council of Commons, the Council of Mages and his private council, which was headed by Gary and included Alanna as well as Numair.[6]

After Daine had used her wild magic to save the lives of his wife and children, the king and queen offered the girl a home. They also became good friends, something Daine never would have dreamed of as a commoner girl in Snowsdale, Galla.

Treasonous plots and onslaught of Immortals War[]

In 450 HE, Jon had Numair and Daine investigate a series of disappearances from the Queen's Riders in or near a fief called Dunlath. His fourth cousin, Yolane, was duchess there. It was revealed that she and her husband Belden, had plotted to overthrow the king and queen and take her place as queen. This, however, would have never come to pass, as the mages she had seemingly under her wing, were loyal to Ozorne Tasikhe, the Emperor Mage of Carthak.

In 451 HE, Jon negotiated with the Emperor Mage to think about peace. He sent a delegation to meet with the emperor and the imperial advisers. He sent Daine along to care for the emperor's prized birds, which he knew were sick. Ozorne wanted a war, and rigged things to not work out. He executed Numair's simulacrum and tried to capture Daine. She used magic given to her by the Graveyard Hag in order to wake dinosaur skeletons to destroy Ozorne's palace. He turned himself into a Stormwing, his reign thus passing to his nephew Prince Kaddar. Kaddar had no feud with the Tortallans, but many Carthakis were still loyal to the Emperor Mage, so he had a tough time getting his country under his control.

In 452 HE, Jon and Thayet's enemy Ozorne joined forces with Uusoae, the Queen of the Chaos Realms. They end up having to fight slews of Immortals, Carthak and Ozorne, the Copper Isles, and Scanra. They forged an alliance with the Yamani Islands, and had a few of their fighters on their side. Daine managed to defeat Ozorne, and her god friends and acquaintances got Uusoae under heel.

It came to light later that Jon had talked Princess Kalasin out of becoming a knight, as he was afraid other countries would balk at marrying their royal sons to a woman who could fight. This earned him the cold shoulder from Queen Thayet.

A time of peace[]

Later that year, after the Immortals War, Keladry of Mindelan asked to try for her knighthood and capitalize on the law that allowed noble girls to do so. Many conservative nobles fought this, including Wyldon of Cavall, the training master for the pages at the time. The other man had saved Jon's young children during the war, so Jon put Kel on probation despite the King's earlier law. The King only agreed to give Keladry probationary status when the training master threatened to resign and leave Jonathan without significant support from noble conservatives. When Kel discovered this, resented King Jonathan over what she perceived as unfair hypocrisy, and her attitude towards him remained negative throughout most of the quartet, despite her sharing his politically progressive ideals.

King Jonathan visited the pages quite often to give lectures and speeches and to tell them how important they were for the realm. His speeches had the ability to stir even the most sullen page, except Keladry, who could not like him for how he treated her.

As the threat from the Carthakis dwindled upon the ascension of Kaddar Iliniat to the Carthaki throne, Emperor Ozorne's nephew through his sister Princess Fazia, Jonathan made further effort to arrange a marital alliance between Kaddar and his oldest daughter Kalasin. He did give her a choice, however, instead of just informing her of the marriage. He gave her a list of eligible royal young men, and she chose Kaddar.

In May of 454 HE, his eldest child Prince Roald, passed his exams to become a squire. Instead of honoring royal tradition and taking his son as his squire, he took Zahir ibn Alhaz, a Bazhir, in order to show continual efforts to integrate the Bazhir into the rest of the kingdom.[7] Prince Roald, instead, was taken on by Imrah of Legann.

In December of 456 HE, Joren of Stone Mountain was revealed to be the main perpetrator behind the kidnapping of Lalasa Isran in an attempt to force Keladry of Mindelan to miss the big exams for pages. Joren was incredibly unmoved about the whole ordeal and made the law and the Crown look stupid. Keladry asked the King and Queen to change the law, and Jon and Thayet agreed that it stunk of slavery.[8]

When squire Vinson of Genlith admitted to sexually assaulting three women, and when Joren of Stone Mountain died in the Chamber, Lord Wyldon resigned. They decided on a Padraig haMinch, because he was conservative and a Minchi.[9]

The onslaught of the Scanran War[]

The Tortallans had always had trouble from Scanran raiders on their border, but in about 458 HE, things began to intensify. One of the captains of the King's Own, a knight called Glaisdan of Haryse, was killed by Scanrans in a carefully set trap.[10]

Scanran warlord Maggur Rathhausak had been gaining power in Scanra by taking hostages from the great nobles there. In 460 HE, war between Scanra and Tortall was declared. This time the Scanrans had more tricks up their sleeves, including killing devices, metal monsters made from the souls of children. Jon deployed Veralidaine Sarrasri and Numair Salmalín to find out the enemy's whereabouts. In August of 460, Keladry of Mindelan found and killed the man responsible for the killing devices, a Gallan called Blayce the Nothing Man.[11] Jon pardoned the convicts who worked with her. Even after the destruction of the killing devices, the war was not done, as they still had to fight the Scanran clans still under King Maggur's thumb, and hunt the warlord himself.[12]

In 462 HE, Jon's godsdaughter Alianne of Pirate's Swoop was kidnapped by pirates and taken to the Copper Isles. George Cooper, Aly's father and the baron of Pirate's Swoop, had told Jon in the hope that the king—a mage—could help scry for her. Numair Salmalín and Veralidaine Sarrasri also searched, Numair with scrying, and Daine with her animals, but to no avail. They were all careful to look for her, as Aly was connected to very important people of the Tortallan government, and they didn't want enemies to find out that Aly was missing. Jon accidentally let slip of Aly's disappearance to his King's Champion Alanna the Lioness, who was still fighting Scanrans in the war and was stationed at Frasrlund. George did not tell Alanna as he did not want his wife to worry and to make mistakes while fighting. It was later revealed that none of the scrying worked because the trickster god Kyprioth was shielding her magically.[13]

Physical description[]

Jonathan has short coal black hair and sapphire blue eyes. He had a straight but slightly hooked nose.[14] He later also grows a beard.[15] Jon is described by several people, among them Alanna of Pirates' Swoop (or Alanna the Lioness),Keladry of Mindelan and Veralidaine Sarrasri, as very handsome. He is also very tall, as seen by the fact that as a page Jon was around the same height as Ralon of Malven, who was a year older than Jon.[16] Jonathan's magical gift shares the same blue color as his eyes.

Personality and traits[]

Jon is normally very responsible and takes his duties seriously, caring very much for his people and always trying to do what is right for them. Jonathan also has a very strong will. He goes knowingly into danger when riding into the Black City - to save the Bazhir from further suffering. Jon also keeps a cool head when Duke Gareth is hurt while the Tortallan army assembled to fight Tusaine. He keeps Gary from forgetting his duty over worry for his father. Jon is tutored by Ali Mukhtab and undergoes the ritual of becoming the Voice of the Tribes. He does this to unite Tortall and the Bazhir tribes and reduce conflict. Later, Jonathan endures his grief for his dead parents while assuming the throne amid the conflict of his dead cousin's resurrection and attempt to destroy Tortall.

Despite his qualities, Jon has also less dutiful sides, which were most pronounced in his early knighthood while he was still the crown prince, and when visiting the Bazhir tribe of the Bloody Hawk. Alanna notices his restless and immature behavior. On one occasion he refuses to see Ali Mukhtab for his lessons, because he wants to go riding instead. Alanna accuses him of being spoiled, which leads to their most serious and upsetting argument and the dissolution of their romantic relationship.

Even so, when Alanna returns from the Roof of the World with the Dominion Jewel, he does ask her if she still wants to marry him, as he is, or becomes, very honorable after the death of his parents.

When Keladry of Mindelan and Raoul of Goldenlake talk about him after the trial of Joren of Stone Mountain, Raoul describes Jonathan as being far more complicated than what he was as a boy and a teenager. Raoul thinks that Jon agreed with Kel to have the law changed for a number of reasons; to change a clearly conservative law, to make him seem more likable to Kel, and to make Kel get more on his side. Thus, Jonathan is shown to have progressed worlds from the rebelling teenager to a confident and charismatic ruler who tries to understand all sides of the story and all perspectives and use them to his advantage. Even so, Kel still doesn't like him as a person, as she thought he was unfair to her despite what he said in courts due to her probation. Her father, Piers of Mindelan, told her once that good kings aren't always good men—Kel thought this applied to Jon perfectly. The Protector of the Small quartet is the first time Jon's style of kingship is not portrayed in a purely positive light.

Relationships[]

Family[]

Roald and Lianne of Conté[]

Jon has a close relationship to his parents. He is their only heir and thus very precious to his parents and the realm. Their devotion to each other is shown when Jonathan nearly dies from the Sweating Sickness and during Queen Lianne's many illnesses.

Despite his love for his father, Jon doesn't always approve of King Roald's political decisions. His disapproval is most obvious in the Tusaine War, when Roald gives the order not to cross the Drell River. Jon thinks that Roald is too intent on not losing his reputation as "The Peace-Keeper". When Alanna is taken prisoner Jon openly defies his father's order and crosses the river to rescue his friend. Jonathan also criticizes his father's decision to take his own life after the death of Queen Lianne. After Jon assumes the throne, he makes it clear that he is not going to follow his father's example of passivity and peace-keeping. He alienates many nobles by reforming the realm's protocols and policies, most notably marrying a foreigner and allowing women to pursue knighthood.

Roger of Conté[]

Roger and Jon are cousins, and like most people Jon fell for Roger's charm. Early in the series, Jon liked and respected his cousin and still trusted him even after Alanna mentions her suspicions about Roger. It was only after Roger makes more attempts on his and his friends' lives that Jon began to mistrust his cousin. When Alanna accuses Roger of attempting to kill the members of the royal family and take the throne for himself, Jonathan believes her.

After Roger came back from his Sorcerer's Sleep Jon never trusts Roger again, having his advisors keep a close watch on him and his supporters. To everyone's surprise but Alanna's, Roger attempted to take over Tortall during Jon's coronation. This became known as the Coronation Day Battle.

Thayet of Conté[]

Thayet accompanies Alanna when she returns from her journey to attain the Dominion Jewel. Jon first meets her in the house of Myles of Olau and is instantly attracted to her. In the days preceding his coronation they often go riding together. They become betrothed some time after Jon is made King of Tortall and eventually have six children. There doesn't seem to be much conflict in their marriage, except when Jon talks their daughter Kalasin out of being a page. Subsequently, Thayet moves to a different wing of the palace for one year, until she forgives him for manipulating their daughter and taking a hypocritical stance of his beliefs regarding women and combat.

Children[]

Jonathan has a loving but sometimes tense relationship with his son, Roald. Roald is named after his paternal grandfather and seems to take after him in nature. While King Jonathan is a strong-willed reformer and able mage, Roald is never seen using his Gift. The young prince is soft-spoken, kind and careful to slight no one. He spends time with all of his fellow pages and squires, even those he dislikes, such as Joren of Stone Mountain. When Jonathan was a page, he openly showed his derision for Ralon of Malven and clearly favored his friends.

Jon's relationship with his other children is not really seen, and he did convince Kally not to go for her knighthood even though he knew it was one of her greatest dreams. It was this that convinced Kel of Mindelan that good kings are not always good men.

Gareth of Naxen[]

Duke Gareth of Naxen is Jonathan's maternal uncle. He was his nephew's training master during Jon's time as a page. He loved his nephew, and became one of Jon's advisers later when he became king. Gareth was also one of King Roald's most trusted advisers during his kingship.

Gary the Younger[]

Jon and Gary were cousins, but they grew up like brothers. They both started page training at the same time, and they were at the top of the social echelon of the pages. Later, their friendship continued as Gary became one of Jon's advisers and his prime minister.

Friends[]

Alanna of Pirate's Swoop and Olau[]

Jon and Alanna met when she first came to the Royal Palace to train for her knighthood, disguised as the boy "Alan". They quickly became close friends.

In the year before Alanna's ordeal for knighthood, they became lovers, taking advantage of the connected rooms that came with Jon being Alanna's knight-master. Their relationship was passionate, but they eventually realize that marrying would be a mistake. When Jon proposed to Alanna in the desert, they argued and parted angrily. Both were too stubborn and temperamental, and Alanna did not want the duties of a future queen, as she wanted to become a knight errant. They remained apart until Alanna returned to Tortall with the Dominion Jewel. Upon her return, Jon held true to his word and told her that his proposal would still stand if she wanted to accept, even though he was already attracted to Thayet. Alanna told him that she wouldn't make a good queen, which closed the subject once and for all, relieving them both.

Jon and Alanna remained friends afterwards, with Alanna becoming the King's Champion and a close adviser of the king.

When Keladry of Mindelan requested permission to start training to be a knight, Jonathan allowed Wyldon of Cavall, the conservative training master, to put the girl on probation. Alanna was furious with Jonathan and refused to go to the palace. She was even more furious when they didn't allow her to event talk to Keladry. Alanna refused to talk to Jon for years, and also refused to go to the royal palace, despite her status as King's Champion. They seem to have reconciled in the late 450s. In 463, during the latter half of the Scanran War, Jon was the one who let it slip that Alanna's only daughter, Alianne, was missing.

Raoul of Goldenlake[]

Lord Raoul and Jon were best friends while they were pages, and Raoul was part of the prince's posse that later adopted Page Alan of Trebond. Once they were knights and Jon was king, he gifted Raoul with very honorable offices, such as the command of the King's Own. After Raoul slew a giant, and for his work during the Immortals War, the king gave him the title of Lord of Malorie's Peak, to add to his other ones. In 456 HE and onward, Raoul and Jon's relationship became very strained as Raoul did not like what the king planned for him and his troop and felt that Jon was wasting good men by having them prance for the Royal Progress when they could be doing something useful in the field. It became an endless game of cat and mouse, with Raoul using any excuse to stay away from the monarchs and parties.

Enemies[]

Ralon of Malven[]

Ralon went through page years around the same time that Jon did, although Ralon was about a year older than Jon. Jonathan never liked him, despite Ralon's attempt to curry favor. By the time Alanna arrived at the palace Jon had already forbidden Ralon to speak to him again. When he did speak with Ralon it was in a icy manner.[17]

Delia of Eldorne[]

During In the Hand of the Goddess, Jonathan has a sexual relationship with Delia of Eldorne, the court beauty of the time. Delia is manipulative and deceitful and is a secret supporter of Duke Roger and his plans to take the throne of Tortall. Delia causes tension between Alanna and Jonathan. Alanna dislikes Delia on principle and feels she is coming between her and Jon's friendship. When Jon transfers his affections to Alanna, Delia is at once confounded and furious. She reveals in a conversation with Roger that she was using her sexual relationship with Jon as a means of manipulation and is angry when she no longer has an effect on him.

Alexander of Tirragen[]

While once a close friend of Jon's, Alexander committed treachery after he had been squired to Roger of Conté. He died during the Coronation Day Battle, and his family was besmirched by his treason during the time of King Jon.

Family Tree[]

Thom of Pirate's Swoop's Versions[]

From 795 AE to 367 HE[]

Collapsible family tree showing the family line prior to 367 HE.

Conté family per Thom of Pirate's Swoop's timeline[18][19]from 795 AE[20] to 367 HE.
Unnamed ancestors[21]
Newlin I of Conté[22]Unnamed woman
Conté manUnnamed woman
Unnamed womanNewlin II of Conté
Roald I of Conté[23]Annable of ?
Unnamed womanEnnalt of ? AKA Newlin III of Conté[24]
Roald II of Conté[25]Unnamed woman
Doras of Great MinchGareth I of ContéWoman x2[26]
Unnamed womanConté manContés[27].Contés[27]
Conté manUnnamed woman
Conté man x2[28]Baird II of Conté[29][30][31]Unnamed woman
Unnamed womanRoger I of Conté
Unnamed womanJonathan II of Conté[32]
Baird III of Conté[33]Unnamed woman
Roger II of Conté[34]Unnamed woman
See QueenscoveJasson I of Conté[35]
See BarzunHenrim of Queenscove AKA Gareth II of Conté[36]Unnamed woman
Jessamine of BarzunRoger III of Conté[34][37]Unnamed womanBaird of Conté[38]See Trebond
Gareth III of Conté[39]Unnamed womanContés[40]Contés[38]
Conté woman[38]Lionel of Trebond[41]
Wylles of Conté[42]Unnamed womanSee Trebond
Jasson II of Conté[43]Unnamed woman
Roald III of ContéUnnamed womanSee Legann
Roger IV of ContéConté woman[44]Legann man
Unnamed womanRoald of Legann AKA Roald IV of Conté[44]See Dunlath[45]
Baird IV of ContéUnnamed womanSee JesslawConté womanDunlath man[45]
After 367 HE[]

Alternate Version[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. It was the tradition for the king to choose his heir apparent as his squire. This ended during King Jonathan IV's reign.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Tortallan timeline
  3. https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/3sjahm/im_tamora_pierce_author_of_the_tortall_and_circle/
  4. Squire (Scholastic paperback)
  5. Vania and Jasson are rarely mentioned, because Pierce's publisher "(doesn't) like me to bring them in". SheroesCentral, "The Royal Family."
  6. Emperor Mage, Ch. 2 (pg. 54; Simon Pulse paperback)
  7. Randombuzzers: Chat with Tamora Pierce - Tortall - retrieved on March 11, 2011
  8. Squire, Ch. 8 (Random House paperback)
  9. Squire, Ch. 14 (Random House paperback)
  10. Squire, Ch. 16 (pg. 326; Random House paperback)
  11. Lady Knight (Scholastic paperback)
  12. Learned this later from interviews with Tamora Pierce online, and in the Daughter of the Lioness duology.
  13. Trickster's Choice
  14. Alanna: The First Adventure, Ch. 2 (pg. 29; Random House paperback)
  15. Wild Magic, Ch. 5 (pg. 132)
  16. Alanna: The First Adventure, Ch. 2 (pg. 28; Random House paperback)
  17. Alanna: The First Adventure, Ch. 2 (pg. 28/29; Random House paperback)
  18. 18.0 18.1 Tortall: A Spy's Guide (electronic edition), Cooper Family Papers, Timeline of the Realm of Tortall.
  19. Unfortunately, the timeline conflicted with Ms. Pierce's commentary prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide. See the "other sources" family tree and footnotes for Newlin I, Roger the Liberator, and Jasson II-or-III, among others. Additionally, there may have been additional members of the family not mentioned in the timeline, as it was concerned exclusively with the reigning kings. Some people have been added from other sources, specified in footnotes.
  20. 900 Asaron's Era was 1 Human Era, so this would be about 104 years pre-HE, or 471 years before this chart ends.
  21. It wasn't clear whether Newlin I was the first Conté or only the first royal Conté.
  22. Per the timeline, Newlin I opened the Book of Gold, founded Tortall, and was its first king. But prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that Jonathan I was the first Conté king, that another family held the Tortallan throne before him, and that the Contés were ennobled in the Book of Silver. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022. See also the Succession of Tortallan Monarchs.
  23. Not to be confused with Roald V, Jonathan IV's father.
  24. Newlin III was Annable's nephew by birth and was adopted by the childless royal couple.
  25. Not to be confused with Roald VI, Jonathan IV and Thayet's son.
  26. Gareth I's other two wives were Merice of Queenscove and Andrette of Tameran.
  27. 27.0 27.1 In total, between all three wives, Gareth I sired nine children (five women and four men) who gave him eighteen grandchildren and twenty-four great-grandchildren.
  28. It was also possible that the elder great-grandsons were sired by other Contés rather than being Baird II's older brothers (for example, if a sister or younger brother of Doras and Gareth I's firstborn son reproduced before their brother).
  29. Baird I was omitted.
  30. Baird II was Gareth I and Doras's "third great-grandson", which could in theory mean three-times-great-grandson rather than third-eldest great-grandson, but the former was temporally implausible.
  31. It was likely that Baird II's royal parent and grandparent were men, though it wasn't stated explicitly, as Ms. Pierce has stated that prior to Jonathan IV's reign the royal succession was secured to the male line. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Lianokami and Succession to the Throne" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine November 5,2022. Accessed November 23, 2022.
  32. Jonathan I was omitted.
  33. 33.0 33.1 Baird III founded the Provost's Guard in 127 HE (two years after his death, according to the Spy's Guide timeline). Terrier (electronic edition) "The Provost's Guard".
  34. 34.0 34.1 34.2 The notes on the timeline made it clear that the character referred to as Roger II in the Terrier (electronic edition) "Cast of Characters" was called Roger III in the Spy's Guide. See also Roger III of Conté.
  35. Jasson I was co-regnant with Sidea of Naxen, but wasn't married to her and didn't sire children at all but adopted his cousin instead.
  36. Gareth II was a cousin of Jasson I by birth, but the degree was not specified.
  37. 37.0 37.1 Roger III of Conté was married to Alysy of Galla until her death, but the marriage produced no issue. Terrier "Cast of Characters" and Mastiff.
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 38.4 38.5 Per Bloodhound (electronic edition) "September 13, 247", Prince Baird's oldest daughter was married to Lionel of Trebond, which implied he had other daughters. Per Mastiff, he was childless.
  39. 39.0 39.1 Roger III of Conté and Jessamine's son Gareth's regnal number may have only appeared in the Spy's Guide.
  40. 40.0 40.1 Roger III of Conté and Jessamine had more children after Gareth III per this Random Buzz thread "Fall 2011 Chat with Tamora Pierce!" as archived at the Wayback Machine October 17, 2012. Accessed November 15, 2022.
  41. 41.0 41.1 Bloodhound "Thursday, September 14th, 247".
  42. Wylles became king, but as there was no second King Wylles, no regnal number was used.
  43. 43.0 43.1 43.2 Prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that Jonathan IV's grandfather Jasson III of Conté was Jasson II, not Jasson III. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022.
  44. 44.0 44.1 Roald IV was Roger IV's nephew by birth. It was inferred that his birth Conté parent was a woman. It was not known whether there was further issue from match.
  45. 45.0 45.1 45.2 45.3 45.4 45.5 Per Wolf-Speaker (electronic edition), Ch. 3, Maura of Dunlath and Yolane of Dunlath were Jonathan IV's "third cousins or something like that" (This meant they shared at least one great-great-grandparent. In the Spy's Guide version, this would have to be Roald IV.) It's inferred that the half-sisters' Conté ancestor was a woman.
  46. Unfortunately, the timeline conflicted with Ms. Pierce's commentary prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide. See the "other sources" family tree and footnote for Jasson II-or-III, among others. Additionally, there may have been additional members of the family not mentioned in the timeline, as it was concerned exclusively with the reigning kings. Some people have been added from other sources, specified in footnotes.
  47. 47.0 47.1 47.2 47.3 Prior to the publication of the Spy's Guide, Ms. Pierce said in online statements that "the Old King" (which generally meant Jonathan IV's grandfather, Jasson II-or-III) married a Naxen third cousin. Random Buzz thread from 2009 "Random Tortall Questions..." as archived at the Wayback Machine March 30, 2012. Accessed November 15, 2022. (Perhaps Jesslaw had a connection to Naxen, or Jasson II-or-III was married twice.)
  48. 48.0 48.1 In noncanonical sources created before the reveal of Jonathan IV's father Roald the Peacemaker's canonical regnal number (and newer sources that preferred to stick with what they knew), he was often known as Roald I, but the timeline indicated he was Roald V.
  49. Jonathan III was omitted.
  50. 50.0 50.1 In noncanonical sources created before the reveal of Jonathan IV and Thayet's son Crown Prince Roald's canonical regnal number (and newer sources that preferred to stick with what they knew), he was often known as Roald II, but the timeline indicated he was Roald VI.
  51. 51.0 51.1 Shinkokami's first pregnancy was referenced in Ch. 6 of Trickster's Queen, but Lianokami's name appeared only in the "Official Chronology of Tortallan Events" in the Spy's Guide and Ms. Pierce's online commentary. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Lianokami and Succession to the Throne" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine November 5,2022. Accessed November 23, 2022.
  52. Specifically, canon sources (other than Thom of Pirate's Swoop's timeline in the Spy's Guide) and Tamora Pierce's extracanonical commentary. Unfortunately, both canon and comments conflict with the information given in the Spy's Guide. See footnotes for Newlin I, Roger II-or-III, and Jasson II-or-III. Additionally, there may have been members of the family not mentioned, as Ms. Pierce was not giving a complete accounting. Sources specified in footnotes.
  53. Archived at Words of Tamora Pierce "The Book of Silver, Reign of the Contés, and Old Ones" August 28, 2007. Archived at the Wayback Machine December 28, 2009. Accessed November 20, 2022.
  54. 54.0 54.1 54.2 Mastiff.
  55. 55.0 55.1 55.2 Alanna: The First Adventure (electronic edition), Ch. 4.
  56. Lioness Rampant (electronic edition), Ch. 2.
  57. Lioness Rampant (electronic edition), Epilogue.
  58. Alanna: The First Adventure (electronic edition), Ch. 5.
  59. Squire (electronic edition), Ch. 1.
  60. 60.0 60.1 Wild Magic (electronic edition), Ch. 8.
  61. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce, "Kaddar and Kally". August 26, 2007. At the Wayback Machine November 15th, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2023.
  62. 62.0 62.1 62.2 First Test (electronic edition) Ch. 2
  63. Sheroes thread as archived at Words of Tamora Pierce: "Vania, Ilane, and Thayet". August 28, 2007. At the Wayback Machine November 15, 2022. Accessed April 27, 2023.

See also[]

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